New College Lanarkshire

What New College Lanarkshire does

New College Lanarkshire (NCL) is a publicly funded Further and Higher Education college headquartered in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, operating across five campuses in Motherwell, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kirkintilloch, and Broadwood, serving North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire council regions. Founded in 2015 (with references to 2013) and registered as a Scottish charity (SC021206), the college delivers vocational and academic training across 13 academic departments and 600+ courses, including automotive, dental and healthcare, construction, computing and digital, performing arts, beauty, hospitality, sport, supported learning, and business. Core technology platforms include the Moodle learning management system, the proprietary-branded The Learning Well digital campus for blended education delivery, the NCLNow student portal, CAD software, and the Smart Hub Lanarkshire robotics and automation facility; the Recite Me accessibility overlay provides text-to-speech and visual accessibility features. The Learning Well, Undergraduate School (in partnership with University of the West of Scotland), Smart Hub Lanarkshire, and Lanarkshire Business Hub represent the principal branded product lines.

NCL operates a hybrid revenue model combining publicly funded tuition (via the Scottish Funding Council), commercial training and apprenticeship delivery for employers (Modern Apprenticeships in automotive, construction, hospitality, and other sectors), and professional learning through the Lanarkshire Business Hub. Customer segments include school leavers and young adults (primary), higher education students, employers and businesses (primary), care-experienced young people, adult learners/career changers, and pre-college school pupils. Approximately 850 staff support a learner body exceeding 10,000-15,000 individuals. Go-to-market is sales-led across multiple channels: direct online application portal, school partnership programmes reaching P5 pupils, apprenticeships, undergraduate degrees via UWS, part-time professional learning for businesses, and community engagement through sub-brands including Wellbeing Academies, the NCL Foundation (providing ~3,500-4,000 free breakfasts monthly), and the Better Than 52 health campaign.

Name

New College Lanarkshire

Legal name

New College Lanarkshire

Website

https://nclanarkshire.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

New College Lanarkshire is a publicly funded Further and Higher Education college in Scotland operating five campuses across North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire, delivering vocational and degree programmes to 10,000-15,000 learners via 13 academic departments and employer partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Further Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit) (EDAHADAG)

Keywords

• Further education
• Vocational training
• Apprenticeship programmes
• Higher education
• Professional learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Motherwell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Government funding from Scottish Funding Council as a publicly funded Further and Higher Education college. Latest NCL turnover is approximately £56 million per year.
2. Commercial Activities: Revenue from commercial services, training programmes for businesses, and professional learning. Subsidiary AMCOL (Scotland) Limited generates approximately £5.4 million.
3. NCL Foundation Donations: Charitable donations and patron support providing free breakfasts for students. Staff and community donations support the Foundation's food poverty initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

New College Lanarkshire is a publicly funded Further and Higher Education college in Scotland delivering over 600 vocational and academic courses across 13 departments through five campuses in North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire. It offers apprenticeships, undergraduate degree programmes in partnership with the University of the West of Scotland, professional learning for businesses, and digital learning via The Learning Well platform. The college also operates the Smart Hub Lanarkshire robotics facility and Lanarkshire Business Hub to support local employers.

Product overview

New College Lanarkshire is a further and higher education college offering vocational, academic, and professional training across 13 academic departments. The college operates a multi-service educational model comprising on-campus courses, digital learning platforms (The Learning Well), student portals (NCLNow), and business support services (Smart Hub Lanarkshire, Lanarkshire Business Hub). It also partners with the University of the West of Scotland through its Undergraduate School to deliver degree programmes locally. The institution serves over 10,000 students across five campuses in the Lanarkshire region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Learning Well: Digital campus offering flexible, high-quality, blended education for Lanarkshire and beyond.
• Better Than 52
• Smart Hub Lanarkshire
• Lanarkshire Business School
• NCL Foundation

Products and services

• Further Education Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,226 students engaged with Wellbeing Academy activities
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• University of the West of Scotland (UWS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to deliver undergraduate degree programmes locally in Lanarkshire, addressing below-national-average degree attainment in the region. Currently offering 13 degree programmes in health, business, digital, science, and arts.
• Monklands Women's AidcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership mirroring Women's Aid project at Coatbridge campus for domestic abuse survivor education support.
• Cumbernauld and District Women's Aid (CADWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Women's Aid Project providing trauma-informed 12-week courses for domestic abuse survivors in refuges, helping them reclaim lives through education and skills.
• International Dental Partners (China, Mongolia, Philippines)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Dental Healthcare Training Programme (DHTP) partnership with institutions in China, Mongolia, and Philippines to address global dental nursing skill gaps, creating standardised Certificate and Diploma programmes and Dental Teaching Manual.
• Brain Health Scotland Centre for Health and Social CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to address digital overload and attention fragmentation among students, integrating cognitive wellbeing support with educational delivery
• DFN Project SEARCH Partners (North and South Lanarkshire Councils, NHS Lanarkshire, ISS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne-year full-time course with internships at Lanarkshire University Hospitals, equipping young people with additional support needs with essential skills for competitive paid employment.
• Buchanan High School and Firpark High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASN (Additional Support Needs) schools actively involved in VEX Robotics weekly classes and evening clubs, ensuring robotics access for all students regardless of ability.
• Terrence Higgins TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for HIV activism education and Trans+ Awareness training, delivering talks and workshops on campus.
• Active Schools North LanarkshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering sports taster sessions for P5 pupils to encourage girls' participation in sport-related studies and careers.
• DataVitaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing students front-row access to Scotland's biggest tech investment through data centre engagement.
• Police ScotlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on gender-based violence awareness events and procurement-related declarations on serious organised crime and human trafficking.
• The Learning WellcoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital campus platform for flexible, blended education delivery, hosting online courses including health modules.
• Scottish Government (SEEP Programme)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScottish Educational Exchange Programme supporting international week events and partner collaboration.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• South Lanarkshire College: Geographically adjacent FE college serving East Kilbride and Hamilton — directly overlapping Lanarkshire catchment. Comparable in programme mix (vocational, apprenticeships, HE pathways) and competes for the same school-leaver and employer base.
• Edinburgh College: One of Scotland's largest FE colleges, offering vocational and higher education across multiple campuses with strong employer engagement. Same Scottish Funding Council funding regime and broadly equivalent course portfolio structure.
• City of Glasgow College: Largest FE college in Scotland, serving the Glasgow region with similar further and higher education programmes, apprenticeships, and employer engagement services. Directly comparable in operating model, scale, and Scottish public funding structure.
• Forth Valley College: Multi-campus Scottish FE college in central Scotland offering a comparable mix of vocational, apprenticeship, and HE programmes funded by the Scottish Funding Council.
• Glasgow Kelvin College: Scottish FE college serving the east of Glasgow with a similar vocational/apprenticeship curriculum mix. Operates under the same public funding framework and competes for the same Lanarkshire-adjacent learner demographic.
• Fife College: Scottish FE college serving the Fife region with multiple campuses, offering a similar portfolio of vocational courses, apprenticeships, and degree pathways under the same public funding regime.
• Ayrshire College: Multi-campus Scottish FE college operating in the west of Scotland with comparable programme breadth across vocational, apprenticeship, and higher education pathways under the same Scottish public funding framework.
• West Lothian College: Single-campus Scottish FE college delivering vocational qualifications, apprenticeships, and HE pathways. Operates with comparable public funding model and similar industry-aligned employer engagement focus.
• Dundee and Angus College: One of Scotland's larger FE colleges with strong apprenticeship and employer engagement programmes. Same public funding structure and similar industry-aligned curriculum focus as NCL.

Broad incumbents

• University of the West of Scotland: UWS is NCL's strategic degree-delivery partner and the broader higher education institution across the west of Scotland. Comparable on HE programme delivery but operates at a higher qualification level and broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCLanarkshire
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCLanarkshire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/new-college-lanarkshire
• Instagraminstagram.com/nclanarkshire

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New College Lanarkshire